Ferrari F12 Berlinetta to get 'Speciale' treatment

Ferrari is preparing to unveil a lightweight ‘Speciale’ version of its F12 Berlinetta flagship at the Geneva Motor Show next year. The F12 Speciale is expected to be lighter than the standard F12 Berlinetta by around 200kg, and consequently, power output from its 6.2-litre V12 engine will now be 760bhp as against the 730bhp earlier.

The reduction in weight will bump up its power-to-weight ratio from 447bhp per tonne to 531bhp per tonne. That figure is not just higher than its closest rival, the Lamborghini Aventador LP750-4 Superveloce (485bhp per tonne), but is also at par with the Porsche 918 Spyder.

It is likely that the F12 Berlinetta Speciale will be a full-scale production car like the 458 Speciale, and not a limited-edition model. The standard F12 Berlinetta will continue to be manufactured alongside.

The interiors are expected to feature only basic equipment. It will lose out on features such as carpets and sat nav, but most of the deleted items are likely to available on the options list.

The F12 Speciale will be a significant addition to Ferrari’s line-up, because it may be the last naturally aspirated, non-hybrid production Ferrari to go on sale. Both of Ferrari’s V8 models — the California T and 488 GTB — are now turbocharged and the future V12 models from Ferrari’s stable are also likely to be powered by electric motors, similar to the ones powering the carmaker’s LaFerrari hypercar.